Simple things
by Beael
Summary: There's no such thing as simple things. Alex Rider should know better than most.  Basically just another K-unit-finds-out-about-Alex-and-his-life-as-a-spy, but with my own little mix. Contains flashbacks later on.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi. So, after trying and trying I think I've managed to come up with my first story in English. It will be about three-four chapters long and will contain K-Unit. If you read, please review.**

**Summon: So, it's basically just another K-unit-find-out-about-Alex-and-his-life-as-a-spy story, made my own way. Hope you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer: Alex Rider ain't mine. Sorry to disappoint you.**

**Warning: English is not my first language, so I hope you can forgive me for any grammar mistakes. I've only known the language for about four years and I've learned most of my English by fanfics and youtube. Though, I'm not that bad. **

* * *

**Simple Things**

_A hug. Such a simple thing and yet it warms so much._

_A glare. Such a simple thing and yet it hurts so much._

_Love. Such a complicated thing and yet it's just a mix between different simple things._

_Simple things. So simple and yet the whole world is build of them._

_So, if everything is difficult, can simple things really be simple?_

Alex Rider seemed to be an ordinary boy. If you looked at him you would see almost no difference from his classmates. His hair was blonde, his eyes chocolate brown, he was quite short and didn't seem to be much for the world. Yes, he looked as a bit of a athlete, with muscular arms and torso, but if you didn't take a closer look you would never see the differences between him and a average boy at age fifteen.

Alex' blonde hair was cut short, so that he wouldn't have to bother about it getting ripped of when he did something dangerous. His brown, deep eyes were eyes of someone who had seen to much. His muscular arms had many times killed, and the killing had left scars in his mind that would never go away. If you really tried, you could see bloodstains on his clothes and on the street behind him, caused by the many wounds on his body.

However, at the moment Alex did not wish to be normal. If he was normal, he would get killed instantly. While he was running for his life through the streets of London he did not think about death and he was not scared, like any other boy or man would have done and been. He cursed himself and a mister Alan Blunt, over and over again. A Tulip Jones seemed to get cursed a few times too, just like three men with three weird names; Eagle, Snake and, mostly, Wolf. Had it only been a few months earlier a seventh name would have been on the list, but Ben Daniels was now somewhat a friend of Alex' and did not deserve the harsh words.

He was cold and shivered slightly but did not give in, that would just result in a quick and painful death. His only chance to survive was to get to the safe house before the men in the black cars caught him. He knew nothing about who would be in said house, only that once he got there he would immediately call the MI6 and tell them what he knew and then go to bed.

It felt like hours later when he finally reached the building which would contain a safe place. _Forth floor, apartment six B_, he thought, tiredly making his way up the stairs. _There it is. Better knock._

He did. And someone he thought he'd never see again opened it.

"_Cub? _Holy shit."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again. I can't believe it, but I've actually received many reviews and a lot of alerts too. Thank you so much! You made my day and since this is Christmas Day I thought; "Why not a x-mas gift?" I celebrated Christmas yesterday. Best gift? A AVPM t-shirt! Weirdest thing? I woke up at 3.33 in the morning by my youngest sister's hamster which had escaped his cage and was running over my bed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider. Yet. Mwahaha.**

**Again, any grammar mistakes, please correct me but do so nicely. I'm from Sweden and therefore my English is not perfect.**

* * *

It was Wolf.

"What're you doing here?" the older man asked.

Alex shrugged and tried to get past him. To be a boy with the luck of the Devil, he did not seem to have much luck at the moment. Right behind the man that had once made his life a nightmare stood no other than the three other members of the SAS soldier group K-Unit.

"Hi", he greeted them and smiled a weak smile. "Pleasure meeting you. Mind you if I call MI6 now? They're kinda expecting my call."

Without waiting for an answer he went for the living room were he piked up a phone and dialled three nines. The four soldiers stood in the hallway for a moment, stunned by the teenagers sudden appearance and the fact that he showed no emotions at all.

His hair was blonde and dirty, his chocolate brown eyes showed no emotions, neither did his voice. He was cold, that was the best way to describe him. The way he searched his surroundings and everyone around was something special, and they could tell that he immediately knew every way out of there and all things that in any way could be used as weapons.

"Shit", said Eagle, repeating Wolf. "Cub? Holy shit."

"Did you lot know?" asked Snake silently. "That he was the-"

"-agent? No.", they all answered, even Fox. "No idea."

-Simple Things-

_"Wolfie? Wolf-man? 'Re you home?" Eagle yelled and opened the door to the flat on the highest floor. _

_Inside he was met by Snake, sleeping in the coach, and Fox on a chair in the kitchen. Wolf wasn't there, so Eagle guessed that he was either sleeping or taking a shower. The flat wasn't very big, not more than two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a small bathroom. The walls were painted with a light blue colour that the furniture fitted perfectly along with. One would be surprised that someone like K unit's team leader lived in such a good-looking place, but Eagle knew that he had bought the place along with the furniture and never since re-painted or re-decorated anything._

_"Where's he?" Eagle asked Fox and sat down on one of the light chairs._

_Shamelessly he put his feet on the table and leaned back. Fox smiled slightly and pointed on the bathroom._

_"He's been in there forever!" he said._

_Eagle laughed. "Right."_

_The two men sat there all quiet for a while, listening to Snake's snores and the sound of water from the shower. _

_They had worked together for years, even though Fox had left to work with MI6 for a few months. That didn't matter now since he came back to the SAS after only a few missions. He said he didn't like the job but the three other team-members knew that it was something else that bothered him. When he came back from Australia, shoot in the arm, he was furious and yelled about 'stupid MI6' and that 'bloody Alan Blunt'. Later that week he went back for the SAS._

_"So, are you gonna tell us 'bout the thingy in Australia or what?"_

_"No", Fox snapped._

_"But come on!", begged Eagle. "We're supposed to know everything about each other, we're team mates."_

_The very same discussion had been held between the two of them so many times that both had lost count, but this time Fox finally cracked. He was tired, both in the literal meaning and of Eagle's constant questions._

_"Fine", he said. "Fine. But I'll wait for the others 'cause I won't say it twice."_

_-_Simple things-

Alex hung up the phone and turn around to face the four adults. He looked at them coldly, no emotion in his face, but Ben, who knew him the best, could see that he was both tired, angry and confused.

"Cub, what the hell are you doing here?" asked Wolf angrily.

"Classified", the teenager snared and sat down on the coach. "You?"

"Making sure the safe house is safe", said Eagle with a smile. "Otherwise it wouldn't be of much use, would it?"

"'Kay." said Alex and yawned tiredly. "Ben, I thought you were with the MI6?"

Fox sat down beside the teenager and Snake sat down beside him. Wolf mumbled something about guarding and Eagle landed himself on the floor, looking from Fox to Alex and then back again.

"Nah, I didn't like the way they work, you know."

"Tell me 'bout it. They're a bunch of bastards, that's what they are." said Alex.

"We know", Eagle said and nodded in what he thought was an understanding way.

Snake smacked him on the head.

"Hey, what did I do?" said Eagle, clearly offended.

"Wait", whispered Alex. "How do you guys know... Ben?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Why, hey there! Pleasure meeting you. Again, I apologize for any grammar mistakes. Thanks for the reviews for my last chapter, and especially thank all of you who showed the parts that needed improvement; I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer:  
Me: Guess what? I own Alex Rider now. Oh, and I also own Harry Potter, Cherub and Power of Five.  
Little sister: Really?  
****Me: Yeah, and I am the president of the United States, too.  
Little sister: That's so cool, is it really true?  
Me: Of course it's not true!**** Stupid dumb ****little sister! *clap my hands***

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_"Wait", whispered Alex. "How do you guys know... Ben?"_

The room went extremely quiet, as if they were all waiting for Alex to explode, or, at least, do something. However, he just stood there.

"Yeah", said Fox finally. "I told them."

"You told them... everything?" All of sudden, the emotionless boy seemed horrified.

"No, only 'bout Australia", replied Fox, frightened by the way the teenager looked. "That's about all I know too."

"Oh", said Alex, his voice low and dangerous.

Eagle didn't notice this, but turned to Alex with a wide smile on his face.

"Come on, Cub, tell us the rest!" said Eagle eagerly. "Please!"

At this point the supposed adult was almost jumping of anxiousness and at the very same time Wolf choose to enter.

"We're your team, after all", he said, no; ordered. "Tell us."

Alex began to become extremely angry now. Who the _hell_ was Wolf to tell him what to do? The man was a jerk and an idiot. He had spent more than a week making very sure that Alex knew that he wasn't a part of K unit, and now all the sudden he was? Screw him, screw everybody. Screw Ben, too!

"No you're not", he snared. "And you'll never be. You're just a bunch of bulling adults trying to get a bed time story. Fuck you! You made my life a living hell every second at Breacon Beacons and you'll make it hell again, just for the fun of it, wont you?"

"Alex, listen, I'm really sorry-" began Fox but the teenager interrupted him.

Alex eyes was glimmering with anger, his voice was as furious and his hands were shaking. It was very clear that in any moment now he could jump on them, showing his acknowledgement in karate and general fights. Not even Wolf, who had spent a big amount of days in the bed after big fights, would have dared to stop him if that had happened.

"Sorry? Bullshit! I bet you had a great time telling them everything about me, didn't you? Laughing your heads off, I bet. You know what, Ben? I trusted you. I really did."

-Simple Things-

_At least, thought Eagle when Wolf entered the room an woke Snake up. _

_"Well, you know about my mission in Australia?" began Fox. _

_They all nodded, anxious to learn more. _

_"I met someone there. Someone we know." His voice dropped of._

_"Cub", whispered Wolf._

_"No, not- wait, you know?" Fox looked surprised. "How do you know?"_

_Wolf seemed to tense and he was ripping a paper apart, he needed to do something to stop the memories from coming, because he knew that he couldn't take it, seeing Cub's lifeless body once again. He'd done it to many times in his nightmares._

_"I met him once, in France. He was snowboarding down a mountain on an ironing board." he said quietly, very unlike the way he usually was._

_"What?" yelled Eagle and Snake._

_"Yeah. He pulled of some James Bond stunts and ended up almost getting hit by a train. Didn't think he'd make it, but he jumped on the train and then he, sorta, fell of."_

_"He fell of a bloody train?" asked Snake shock in his eyes. "He's like, what, sixteen?"_

_"Fourteen", mumbled Fox._

_"What?" snapped Wolf. "What did you say?"_

_"He's only fourteen. Or, I guess he's fifteen know."_

_For a while they all sat quite, stunned by the fact. Then Wolf opened his mouth._

_"That bloody Jones woman made me lure him into go back the the fucking school!" he yelled furiously. "And they had guns and everything and I acted like-"_

_"A total ass hole?" suggested Eagle._

_"Yeah, I did. And then I took a bullet for him and I thought he'd leave, or piss himself or something, but in the end it was him who killed that the evil headmaster and he didn't even have a gun or anything and-"_

_"It's alright, we get it", said Snake reassuringly, patting Wolf's shoulder. "But Fox, how come you met him in Australia?"_

_"Well, technically I met him in Bangkok, then I ran into him in Australia later on." Fox said with a weak smile._

_"What the bloody hell was the kid doing in Bangkok?" asked Wolf angrily. "Because I doubt he was on a holiday."_

-Simple Things-

Alex was about to leave the room and K unit when, surprisingly, Eagle got up.

"Listen, kiddo, we care." he said and attempted to place a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Alex shrugged it away. "You don't care! Nobody cares, ever! MI6, the SAS, you're just a bunch of jerks trying to use me 'for the worlds best'! I hate you! The only one who used to care was Jack, and she's gone because of MI6!"

Again the room fell into silence. Snake looked shocked, as did Wolf and Eagle, but Fox looked hurt.

"Alex, I'm sorry, I didn't-" he whispered.

"You didn't know? Seriously, I couldn't care less. Nobody cares about me, why should I care about you?"

He sat down again, barely aware of the men around him, watchings all his movements. He closed his eyes and tried his best not to cry. He didn't get it; why couldn't live be fair, just for once?

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**I just wanted to say that the next update might take awhile, I'll be living with my grandparents for two weeks and won't be able to use the computer. I will write, though.**

**Bea.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, you and sorry for not updating for _ages._ I've got no excuse, except for maybe an evil Harry Potter plot bunny, which then turned out to be nothing. Blew.**

** Thank you all for reviewing/alerting/favouriting. It helps me write both faster (well, partly) and better. As usually, I want to thank those who gave me help to improve my writing even more, that's the best kind of reviews. Once again, I'd like to apologize for all grammar mistakes. If you point them out for me I'll do my best to correct them, but since I've got no beta it might be a few. **

**Disclaimer: _Fan_fiction. Right.**

**Feel free to review.**

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_The morning came early that day, but Alex Rider didn't mind. He had been up for hours and was finally getting home. He smiled as he thought about how he would see Jack again. Maybe Tom could come by later? He would have to call him and ask._

_When the cab stopped outside the house in Chelsea Alex first thought was how happy he was to be home at last. Then he saw that no lamps lit, no windows were open despite the warm summer __weather and the door seemed to be locked._

_"Jack?" he called and opened his bag trying to find the key. "Are you home?"_

_No answer. Shit. _Shit. _This wasn't good, not at all. Jack was always up at this time when he was away. When he got into the house one of the many early mornings after his missions he'd always find her on the couch, sleeping or watching TV, waiting for him to get back so that she could stop worry. He always told her she didn't need to, but he liked it, just like he liked the hugs she gave him while whispering about how worried she'd been. It was those simple things that made the house still feel like home, even with Ian gone._

_No Jack in the couch. He went upstairs, worryingly biting his nails. No Jack in the bed, either. After searching the whole house without finding her he went for the kitchen and there he found it._

_He gasped and ran for the kitchen as fast as he could._

_"No!"_

-Simple Things-

"Kiddo?" Someone was shrugging him gently. "What's wrong?" Most likely Eagle. "Look, I'm sorry, but I just want to know!" No tact at all? Definitely Eagle.

"Just leave me here until the mission's over; I don't want to talk with you, and I doubt you want to talk with me." Alex shuddered, memories were coming back to him as he spoke.

_No one there. Empty. Alone._

"Come on!" begged Eagle. "Please, Cub!"

_"Jack?" No answer._

"Are you alright, kiddo?"

_Please, be quiet. I can't take it anymore! _

_No Jack. Alone. _

"Alex, what's wrong?" asked Fox. "Look, I'm honestly sorry, but they're my team, I had to tell them."

_Cold. Empty. The bed unmade, no food in the kitchen._

"Alex, I'm really, really sorry, but I had to tell someone, don't you get it?"

_No laughs anymore. Jack! Please, don't be gone! Tears._

"I even quit MI6 'cause they're such gits!"

_Ian gone, too. All alone. Where are they? Wait -_

Had Ben quit MI6? Just like that? Alex was so shocked by this that he woke up from his terrible memories. He opened his eyes and looked around. Wolf and Snake were in the background, looking at him with worried looks. Closest to him was Fox and behind him was Eagle.

"I'm fine", Alex mumbled.

"No, you're not", said Fox simply and looked closely at the teenager. "And you have a damn good reason not to be, if Australia was something that happens a lot to you."

Alex closed his eyes again, trying to collect himself, to decide whether or not he should tell them. On one hand, he really wanted to talk about but on the other hand he didn't want their pity. He didn't think he could stand another Jack, someone watching him with worry, seeing only the troubles but not the good things. Because even though he didn't particularly like his job, it was part of who he was, and of him.

"Listen", he began, carefully uttering ever word as if afraid that there would be a misunderstanding, "I know that it seems like shit, and it is too, most of the times, but-"

"But it's what you do", finished Ben, a understanding smile in his face, not pitying, but real and genuine and so, so true.

"Yeah", Alex said weakly and sank back down in the sofa.

Before any of the men reacted, the teenage boy was fully asleep.

-Simple Things-

_It was light outside when the four men had finished their conversation and they all sat quiet around the table, thinking about all they'd just heard, or, in Fox's case, gotten reminded of once again. They insanity in letting a boy at the mere age of fourteen be a agent sent out on life threatening mission had begun to disappear, because they all knew that this particular boy could handle it just fine or at least as fine as any adult could. Still, it was a disturbing thought, even more considering how down-right rude they'd been to him a Brecon Beacons._

_It wasn't until much much later, when they'd almost fallen asleep in their chairs, that the telephone called. Wolf looked around, bewildered, and then began his search for the phone. He find it, not to surprising, in one of the kitchen cabinets, were, it later turned out, Eagle had hid it in order to be able to blackmail Wolf._

_"Hello, this is Sandalio Caito _**(1)**_ speaking", he answered without checking the caller id, afraid whoever was calling would hang up due to the lack of answering, "I see", he said, while yawning tiredly, _

_"We will. Bye." And so he hang up and turned to his team members. "It was the government. Seems like our vacation is over."_

-Simple Things-

"What do we do?" asked Snake, nodding slightly at the limp form of the sleeping boy. "With him, I mean. I know we all thought he could handle it, but he's having some serious troubles."

"Yeah", agreed Wolf angrily, "Who knows what shit they've been putting him through since you last saw him, Fox. I knew that MI6 was ass holes, but clearly they're worse than we thought."

Fox sat quiet, his eyes following the slow movements Alex body made while breathing. Then, so fast that had it not been for their military training they had not seen it, he rubbed a place only centimeters above his heart, and sighed deeply. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to, you know, talk to him."

"Well, no shit Sherlock, I meant _how_ do we do it?" sneered Wolf.

"First, we wake him up", said Snake. "Eagle?"

Wolf, watching as said man bent over the teenager, thought that maybe they ought to just let him sleep until he woke up by himself. He almost, _almost_ looked like only fifteen, asleep and his body and face relaxed, but even in sleep the teenage spy had something over him that did not look entirely innocent. Perhaps it was only his imagination, but it looked as if Alex's right hand, the one he wasn't sleeping on, was clenching an oddly familiar form under his shirt.

Since when was Cub allowed to have a _gun_?

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**1 - Wolf's real name, Sandalio Caito, means "wolf" and "leader". The former is a Spanish name, the latter an Italian.**

**In case I don't see ya', good afternoon, good evening and good night!  
Bea **


	5. Chapter 5

'Lo. This is actually the last real chapter, but I'll but up the epilogue as soon as I'm done with it. I'm not completely happy with this chapter, I think it turned out a bit messy, but I tried and it wouldn't turn out any different than it did.

**Warnings:** The usual, my English isn't perfect but please feel free to correct any mistakes.

**Disclaimer:** Alex would have died a terrible death through torture if I owned him. Luckily for all his fans, I don't.

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"Okey, fine", said Alex and his eyes lost all emotion, just like earlier, as if trying not to think, "My parents was killed in a plane crash when I was only a toddler. My uncle became my guardian and he did it fine. He taught me things you don't normally teach a child. Did you know I can speak Spanish and French fluently. Almost German, too. I know how to drive and I've got a black belt in Karate. I'm a good skier, but I'm fairly good at snowboarding too, same thing with surfing and skateboard."

He stopped a moment to catch his breath, then he said, with a fierce edge in his voice; "Sometimes, I think he taught me those things to make me a copy of my father. He succeeded, but I don't think I have to add that. Obviously you know a few things about me, so I guess you know I'm a good spy."

"Understatement of the year", said Snake quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear him. Alex choose to ignore his remark.

"I've been off at nine big missions so far, this being the tenth. Some of them for MI6, but as you know I've also been in Australia, working for ASIS. How I ended up there is a long story, but I guess we've got the time."

He told them of his missions, and though they all seemed shocked he wasn't interrupted, not until he told them of how Desmond McCain had kidnapped him and took a pause to catch up.

"You're one heck of a boy, aren't you?" stated Eagle, stunned.

"You could say that", Alex said, a grim smile in his face. "Soon after coming home from Africa I turned fifteen. Everything was fine for a while, but one day when I was going home from school..."

_-_Simple Things_-_

_Alex was crossing the street with that Seven Eleven on the corner when a black Volvo stopped right in front of him. He looked around, cautious, but no one was around and suddenly he held a small remote in his hand._

_"Don't get closer", he said, his voice filled with threat, "or I'll fire."_

_A laugh was heard from inside the car and a man escaped the front door. He was tall and had a hint of a beer belly, dressed in a worn blue shirt and dark blue jeans he could have passed as an ordinary father giving his kid a ride after home after school, but Alex saw the dark look in the man's eyes._

_"Alex Rider, I thought you'd never come", he smirked, "but, I must say, you're much smaller then I thought."_

_"Size isn't everything." answered Alex, carefully watching the man's every movement, to catch him and take him down on his first mistake._

_"True", smiled the man and suddenly the teenager heard something coming up behind him, "but it sure as hell helps."_

_The last thing Alex saw before darkness allowed him to escape was two gigantic, black hands._

_-_Simple Things-

"He took me to a wear house close to the end of the city. Apparently, I'd done something to insult his bosses. He told me I'd never get out of there alive."

"What did you answer?" asked Eagle with awe.

Now, the smile in Alex' face actually seemed real.

"I told him to bugger of."

K-Unit laughed, glad that the tension was somewhat broken. They could all imagine this strange boy to tell a dangerous man to bugger of and then stab him with a hidden knife, which, Alex told them, was exactly what he had done.

"They, for some reason, didn't like the fact that I got away and so-"

He told them the rest of the mission, which turned out to be as dangerous as the previous ones. Then he stood up, for the first time looking unsure of what to do. He glanced at the door, a quick glance that only barley was noticed by the men, due to their lack of sleep.

"I think I'd better be off", Alex said and now Fox stood up as well.

"Why don't you stay for breakfast?" he asked. "I bet you're starving."

The teenager nodded with a wide grin and half an hour later they were all sitting in the small but clean kitchen, eating burned toasts with eggs and talking about K-Unit's missions (though Wolf carefully told Alex not to tell anyone about).

"-and Wolf here shrieked like a real girl!" finished Eagle and Alex laughed.

"How long have you guys been working together?" he asked.

"Wolf and Fox has been in the same team since the beginning, but me and Eagle was in two other. Then, of course, most of the course got binned and we ended up in K-Unit." It was Snake who answered.

"'Key", said Alex and yawned. "I'll go home and get myself some sle-"

"Wait", said Eagle, "You never told us about your last mission."

The change was definitive. One moment Alex was smiling, the next his eyes and face was dark.

"When I came home from that last mission it was early morning," he began, "and I was just looking forward to go to bed and finally get to sleep."

He got quiet and K-Unit didn't know if they should ask him or let him gather his thoughts. After what felt like eternity and only a second he continued and again his whole expression was emptied of all emotions.

"Jack was gone. I found a note from her saying that she wouldn't come back and I snapped."

-Simple Things-

_'Dear Alex,_

_I hope you're ok. I hope you aren't dead, but I know that you probably are. They said they couldn't find you and I don't think I can stand walking around here forever waiting for you to show up again as if a miracle had happened. You won't and I have to deal with it._

_If you do read this then you're back and "fine" and you'll be home for a week or a month and then you'll leave again on a mission even worse than the last. That I know I can't stand, so I'm leaving. I'll take the plane back home to night and we'll never meet again. I hope that you'll find a way to leave MI6, but I know deep down that you won't and that's why I'm leaving. I love you Alex and I don't want to see you break into nothing. You're barely more than a shell now and even that shell is fading._

_Love,  
Jack'_

_He stared at the paper and then a tear emerged his eye, slowly making its way down his cheek. Angrily he rubbed it away and instead let a furious cry escape him._

_"I hate them! I hate them so much!"_

_All his anger, his worries and his frustration and the tension that had built up during the last year suddenly felt real and new again and he hit the table, again and again, he didn't care that his hands hurt or that the table broke._

_Hours later he walked up Liverpool Street making his way to Royal & General Bank. The anger was still fresh and he clenched his fists. They'd regret the day they made him their agent._

-Simple Things-

"I thought I wanted to kill Blunt." He said and then continued "Perhaps I still want to but MI6 is all that's left for me now."

Wolf stared at him and the other three tried desperately to hide their reactions to the casual way the boy they knew as Cub was speaking of killing someone.

"What happened next?" asked Eagle breathlessly.

"I was taken home and told to be ready. This is my first mission since."

He stood up and this time none of the men stopped him from leaving. He closed the door and they heard him walk down the stair, then he was gone.

"He's sure something different, right?" said Snake and started to clean the table.


	6. Epilogue

Hi everyone. My dear eDiNbUrGh forced me to put this up. She's basically threatening me, but since I've known how this epilogue would turn out almost word by word for a while it wasn't to hard. The biggest thanks to all my readers for sticking with me. I almost reached a hundred story alerts and nearly fifty favourites. Than you!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**Dedicated to eDiNbUrGh for her encouragement and Sabsi13 since she has given me great reviews filled with tips and constructive criticism after every chapter. **

* * *

It would have been nice to end the story with happy words about how K-Unit took care of Alex and he never again was forced into dangerous, even fatal missions. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When Alex had walked out the door only one of the men ever saw the teenager again.

K-Unit was split up. It's sad, but it's the truth. A few months after the incident in the safe house there was a terrible accident in the Killing House at Brecon Beacons. Wolf managed to keep his job, but both Snake and Eagle was binned. Fox was once again recruited by MI6 and this time he took the job. He wanted to help the world and he thought that he'd have a better shot at helping Alex if he was part of the organisation.

They tried hard to stick together but Eagle was still bitter at Wolf for getting to stay and Snake couldn't stand seeing Fox when he knew that he was back with MI6. Fox and Wolf still met at times - sometimes during missions and sometimes outside of their job - and Eagle and Snake stayed best friends. Snake got to work as a police, a job he may not love but was perfectly fine with. Eagle, on the other hand, got to work as a professor at a university.

It was a sunny day in south France and Eagle sat on a bench sipping on a cappuccino. He was deeply tanned by the sun and a group of girls in their late teenage years took turns at trying to catch his eyes and then collapse with giggles. They thought he didn't see them - they were very wrong. Long years of practise caused him to know every piece of clothes they were wearing and the colours of their eyes. One of the girls had one brown and one blue eye, he noticed with interest.

Then he came. He was walking on the side walk on the other side of the street, his hair more golden than ever and his clothes nicely fitting. At first Eagle didn't notice him; he had grown over one foot since they last met, but once he did he almost fainted. It wasn't the fact that the teenager wasn't a teenager but a man, wasn't the fact that he was taller then ever. What startled Eagle was that he was smiling a smile as bright as the sun.

"-'keep trying!'" Alex said and the woman whom walked beside him laughed and placed a kiss on his face.

"Seriously, Alex, you're the most wicked person I know!" she said and kissed him again.

Then they were to far away for Eagle to hear what they were saying. He didn't consider following them for more than a second and as Alex disappeared out of his eyesight he didn't regret it at all. He'd never seen the teenage boy like that and was shocked to see that he hadn't noticed the older man. He knew for a fact that the boy he had known as Cub would see him as he scanned his surroundings but this man hadn't.

He thought it had everything to do with the woman. Everything about that suddenly so happy young man had something to with the woman. The kiss they'd shared had been comfort and love and trust all in one. Eagle was sure that that woman knew about Alex' job and that she minded but didn't love him any less. He smiled, glad that that broken boy had finally found a way to live his life with happiness and someone to talk to.

Nothing is simple, life least of all, but it can be quite good anyway.


End file.
